Ferdinand Brailler "Fred" Koch, 76, a retired Navy Rear Admiral who became a consultant to Northrop Corp. from 1976 to 1994, died of cancer August 8, 2000 at the Hospice of Northern Virginia. He had lived in Alexandria for 28 years.

Admiral Koch, who was born in Chester, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Ruxton, Maryland, was a 1945 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. He received a master's degree in education from Stanford University.

He served in the Pacific during World War II and became a naval aviator in 1947. His assignments in the 1960s includedcommanding an attack squadron on the aircraft carrier Independence and a carrier air wing deployed on the carrier Shangri-La. During the Vietnam War, he was operations officer of a carrier division.

He was commanding officer of the carrier John F. Kennedy during the Jordanian crisis in the early 1970s. The ship made a much-heralded 3,000-mile voyage across the Atlantic Ocean and through the Strait of Gibraltar before it was believed to have been detected by the Soviets.

His final assignment before retiring in 1976 was on the staff of the chief of naval operations at the Pentagon. He held the title of director of the naval air training division.

His military decorations included two Legions of Merit and the Navy  Commendation Medal.

He had been a board member of the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, where he had directed the U.S. Tennis Association's clay-court championships for men 70 to 80. He was a member of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in
Alexandria.

Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Elizabeth Lynch Koch of Alexandria; a son, John, of Little Rock; a daughter, Linda Koch Lorimer of New Haven, Conn.; two brothers, Robert Koch of Baltimore and Edward Koch of Denver; and four grandchildren.

On Tuesday, August 8, 2000, at Hospice of Northern Virginia, FRED KOCH of Alexandria, VA. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Lynch Koch; his children, John Koch and Linda Koch Lorimer; two brothers and four grandchildren. Funeral Mass will be conducted on Friday, September 1, 10:45 a.m. at the Fort Myer Chapel, Arlington, VA, with burial immediately following in Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Class of 1946 Fund at the US Naval Academy Alumni Association, 247 King George St., Annapolis, MD 21402; Hospice of Northern Virginia, PO Box 1576, Merrifield, VA 22116; or the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Community, 1427 W. Braddock Rd., Alexandria, VA 22302.